Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park Fact Sheet

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	Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park DESCRIPTION: The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park was originally built as a private residence for a St. Louis artist and his wife. It is one of only five Wright-designed structures in Missouri and the only one open to the public. The home, with its original Wright-designed furniture inside, has been restored and is open for tours on a limited basis. Although it is now a county park, the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park, a nonprofit organization that raised the funds to buy and restore the house, manages the home and the 10.5-acre site. Located on a secluded, wooded tract in the Sugar Creek area of suburban Kirkwood, the house is a stunning example of the architect's Usonian design. With its low-slung, angular roof, the single-story, 1900-square-foot house is a collage of geometric shapes. A sweeping wall of windows, two terraces and a lanai help achieve Wright's goal of uniting the indoor spaces with the outdoors. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ADDRESS: 120 N. Ballas Road, Kirkwood, MO 63122 LOCATION: West St. Louis County PHONE NUMBER: 314-822-8359 WEB SITE: www.ebsworthpark.org GETTING THERE: From downtown, take I-44 West about 13 miles to Exit 276 (I-270 North). Follow I-270 about two miles to Exit 8 (Dougherty Ferry Road). Turn right on Dougherty Ferry and proceed about .2 miles to N. Ballas Road. Turn right on N. Ballas and almost immediately turn left into the driveway of the Wright House. Follow the driveway through the woods to the parking area. Parking is limited. HOURS: Tours are offered daily but reservations are required. Tours are limited to 15 persons each because of the size of the home. ADMISSION: $10 per person. SIGNIFICANCE: The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park is the first of five structures in Missouri designed by Wright, considered the greatest American architect of the 20th century. It is the only Wright building in Missouri that is open to the public. There is another Wright-designed house in St. Louis and two homes and a church in Kansas City. The Kraus home is a stunning example of the design Wright called "Usonian," an approach based on American democratic values, which would allow middle class Americans to enjoy beautiful architecture at an affordable cost. It also illustrates Wright's commitment to the idea that buildings should grow naturally from their surroundings and his use of geometric shapes in the design and the open plan with rooms flowing into each other. It is also a manifestation of Wright's belief that man's environment should be in harmony with nature. In addition to being an excellent example of Wright's Usonian design, the home is significant because it decorated with the original Wright-designed furnishings and fabrics. HISTORY: In 1948, St. Louis artist Russell Kraus saw an article in "House Beautiful" magazine about a house that Frank Lloyd Wright designed. Unlike some of Wright's earlier designs, this house was intended for the middle class market, not just for the wealthy. The article inspired him to approach architect Frank Lloyd Wright about the possibility of designing a home for him and his wife-to-be, Ruth, on a tract of land in Kirkwood. After much correspondence, Wright agreed and began working on the design in 1949. Construction was started in 1951. The design and construction of the home were long and arduous, and the process is well documented in letters and telegrams between Kraus and Wright. The Krauses finally moved into the home on New Year's Day, 1956. Meanwhile, suburbia was encroaching on the rustic, hidden plot of ground Kraus had chosen for his home. To preserve the seclusion of his property, he bought several adjacent tracts ultimately bringing his holdings to 40 acres. While Wright also designed a horse stable for the grounds, it was never built, and Kraus never realized his dream of becoming a gentlemen farmer. During the time Kraus owned the house, any changes made to the original building and the plantings on the ground were done with the approval of Wright or the architects at Taliesin, Wright's design group. Because of Kraus' commitment to Wright's principles, the home remains the way Wright designed it. Through the years, Kraus sold some of the property until he was left with the current 10.5 acres. In the early 1990s, Judith Bettendorf, a St. Louis artist and interior designer, expressed an interest in purchasing Kraus's house. In 1993, when Kraus was ready to sell, he contacted Bettendorf who realized, after seeing the house, that it was too small for her and her family. However, Bettendorf told Kraus she would try to find a way to preserve the house and grounds. She approached her friend Bob Hall, director of St. Louis County Parks and Recreation, with the idea that the county might buy the house and grounds and turn them into a park. Because of the cost involved, the county could not take on the project so Bettendorf and others created a non-profit organization to raise the funds to purchase and restore the house. When Bettendorf moved out of town, Joanne Kohn, a St. Louis arts leader who had been involved in the project from the onset, became chairman of the organization. With the help of a $500,000 pledge from the Whitaker Foundation and a $1 million pledge from St. Louis businessman Barney Ebsworth, the group raised $1.7 million to purchase the home which it did in 2001. The park is named in honor of Ebsworth's parents, Alec W. and Bernice W. Ebsworth. John Eifler, an architect with Eifler and Associates of Chicago, developed a master plan. Ted Wolff, Chicago landscape architect, developed the site plan. In an unusual arrangement, the non-profit organization gave the house and property to the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation, which then leased them back to the organization. The group oversees the home and grounds while the county mows the grass, trims the trees and plows the snow. In May 2001, just four months after the purchase, restoration work began with the help of a $377,400 grant from the Gateway Foundation. Because there had been considerable water damage to the brickwork and the exterior wood, an extensive restoration was necessary. Two-thirds of the brick in the carport area and in the house was replaced. Mortar netting was installed in a retaining wall behind the brick to channel water to weep holes, which take the water away from the brick. Soffits, destroyed by carpenter bees, and tidewater cypress panels were replaced. The group also cleaned and relined the draperies, repaired doors that suffered dry rot and updated the house's electrical system. It also restored all of the original furniture and has preserved the correspondence between Wright and the owners of the house. The home opened for tours in 2002. HIGHLIGHTS: The home is nestled into a hill, not built on top of it, a signature element of a Wright design. It is constructed of a distinctive, smooth, red brick and tidewater cypress. Like many Wright designs, the house is based on distinctive geometric shapes-in this case, the parallelogram with the crisp angles that are a hallmark of Usonian design. Many of the design elements of the home indicate Wright's feelings that man should live in harmony with nature and that his home should bring him to nature. For example, the mortar in the bricks have a strong vertical line indicating a link to the ground and nature and a stronger horizontal line tying the home in with the horizon. The house's roofline is angular and futuristic in appearance. Inside, the rooms are open and flowing and feature many built-in bookshelves. A wall of windows in the living room have stained glass insets made by Kraus whose specialty was stained glass. Kraus also installed the doors himself. The wall of windows brings lots of light into the home and at different times of the day, the lighting plays across the floors and furniture in interesting ways. The house has two terraces and a lanai to connect the inhabitants to the outdoors. In addition to the living room and kitchen, the house has two bedrooms and a studio where Kraus worked. The house has no basement and to conserve room in the kitchen, the water heater and furnace are buried under the floor. Parallelograms are evident throughout the house including in the shapes of the stools and a table in the living room. The house features the original Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furniture including a parallelogram in the master bathroom and a hexagonal bedroom in the second bedroom. The house was built with many acute angles, and even drawers in the bathroom vanity are angular to fit the shape of the room. Only two right angles can be found in the design. The house features a master switch at the bed in the master bedroom and at the house's entrance so the lights in the entire house can be turned on or off from those places. WHAT'S COMING UP: Plans are underway to pave the parking area at the house. Future plans include construction of a visitors center that will have exhibits on the construction of the house and the architect; a display of letters, telegrams and other memorabilia related to the house and a gift shop. The design and construction of the visitors center will be in accord with Wright's style. ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS: The FLWHEP is a favorite field trip for school groups and those tours are tailored toward children. The Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park has great appeal to children and provides an excellent opportunity to teach about shapes and geometry. HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY: The house is not handicapped accessible. WHERE TO GET LUNCH: There are several restaurants in downtown Kirkwood and along Watson Road near Interstates 44 and 270. GIFT SHOP: None now, but there will be one when the new visitors center is built. WHAT'S NEARBY: Nearby are the Kirkwood Farmers Market, Mudd's Grove historic home, the Magic House Children's Museum, Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center and Laumeier Sculpture Park. PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Joanne Kohn, chairman of the board of the Frank Lloyd House in Ebsworth Park, 314-822-8359
	Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com